Ricoh
Ricoh is a Japanese company that is still in existence (in 2007) and currently produces digital cameras. History The Riken research institute (abreviation of Rikagaku Kenkyūjo, 理化学研究所, meaning Physico-Chemical Research Institute) and the Riken foundation exist since 1917. History page of the official website of the Riken Institute. In 1927 was created the Rikagaku Kōgyō Kabushiki Kaisha (理化学興業 , meaning Physico-Chemical Development Co., Ltd.) to market products derived from the research of the institute. History page of the official website of the Riken Institute. In 1936, the photographic paper division became Riken Kankōshi K.K. (理研感光紙 , meaning Riken Sensitized Paper Co Ltd) and was placed under the responsibility of Ichimura Kiyoshi (市村清), who is thus considered as the founder of today's Ricoh. History of Riken Kankōshi, in the June 2000 issue (N°228) of the Riken News bulletin; history page of the Ricoh official website, 1936–45 period. In 1937, Riken Kankōshi bought the camera maker K.K. Olympic Camera ( オリンピックカメラ) and the associated trade company Asahi Bussan Gōshi-gaisha (旭物産 ). Arimura, p. 6 of no. 14. The name "K.K. Olympic Camera" is given in Arimura but this article of IR Magazine and this article of the Riken News bulletin say "Olympic Camera Seisakusho" (オリンピックカメラ製作所) instead. The name of the manufacturing company has not been observed in any original document so far. These companies had started the production and distribution of Olympic cameras in 1934 and released the Super Olympic in 1935 or 1936. With the assets of these two companies, Riken Kankōshi founded the dependent company Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (旭光学工業 , meaning Asahi Optical Industries Co., Ltd.), unrelated to the company Asahi Kōgaku which later became Pentax. Arimura, p. 6 of no. 14; article of IR Magazine about the history of Ricoh. In 1938, Riken Kankōshi itself became Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (理研光学工業 , meaning Riken Optical Industries Co., Ltd.). Arimura, p. 6 of no. 14; history page of the Ricoh official website, 1936–45 period; article of IR Magazine about the history of Ricoh. It seems that both Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō and Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō made cameras until 1942, with Asahi making the Olympic and derivative cameras while Riken was making newer products like the Ricohflex, the Roico or the complex and unsuccessful Gokoku and Ricohl. Minor hints of this are given by the logos sported on the cameras, AKK for Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō and RKK for Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō. However it seems that all the cameras were marketed by Riken, which also distributed cameras made by various subcontractors, whose identity is not always known. It seems that the subcontracted models were sold with lenses and shutters made by Riken, but the degree of involvement of the company in the assembly of these cameras is unknown. It also seems that Riken sold some lenses to other manufacturers as well. The production and sales of cameras was stopped during the war. Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō became Asahi Musen Kōgyō K.K. (旭無線工業 , meaning Asahi Wireless Co., Ltd.) in 1941. Arimura, p. 6 of no. 14. This source gives the name "Asahi Musen K.K." but the full name is given by the and by this article of the Riken News bulletin. The address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Ōmori-ku Magome-chō Nishi 4–3085 (東京都大森区馬込町西4–3085). Source: , listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943. In 1942, the two companies Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō and Asahi Musen left the Riken Foundation which was the last link remaining between the Riken Institute and its offshoot companies. See this article of the Riken News bulletin. Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō was based in Tokyo, Ōji in 1943. The address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Ōji-ku Kamiya-chō 1–760 (東京都王子区神谷町1–760). Source: , listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943. After the war, Asahi Musen introduced the Steky in 1946 or 1947. Soon its development was transfered to Riken Optical Industries. The postwar Ricohflex III was launched in 1950. Asahi Musen became Asahi Seimitsu Kōgyō (旭精密工業, meaning Asahi Precision Industries) and it perhaps made the Ricoh Six before it was merged with Riken Optical Industries in 1953, that was again fully implicated in camera production. Ricoh Six made by Asahi Seimitsu: see this page of the AJCC. Riken Optical Industries finally became Ricoh (Kabushiki Kaisha Rikō, リコー) in 1963. 35mm film Viewfinder, fixed lens * Super Olympic D and D III * Ricolet * Ricolet S * Ricoh Auto 35 * Ricoh Auto 35V * Ricoh Auto Shot * Ricoh Super Shot 2.4 * Ricoh Hi-Color 35 * Ricoh Hi-Color 35S * Ricoh Hi-Color 35BT * Ricoh 35 ZF * Ricoh FF-1 * Ricoh FF-1S * Ricoh AD-1 * Ricoh A-2 * Ricoh 35EF-S http://static.flickr.com/69/158644736_98535375de_t.jpg Rangefinder, fixed lens * Riken 35 * Ricolet II * Ricoh 35 * Ricoh 35 Deluxe * Ricoh 35 New Deluxe * Ricoh 35S * Ricoh 35 Deluxe L * Ricoh 519 Deluxe * Ricoh 519M * Ricoh 500 * Ricoh 500 Deluxe * Ricoh S2 * Ricoh 300 * Ricoh Max * Ricoh S3 * Ricoh Jet * Ricoh Wide * Ricoh 300S * Ricoh Mate * Ricoh 35L * Ricoh 35S * Ricoh Super Shot * Ricoh Elnica 35 * Ricoh 500G * Ricoh 500GS * Ricoh 800 EES * Ricoh Elnica F * Ricoh Elnica 35M * Ricoh 500GX * Ricoh 500ME Rangefinder, interchangeable lens * Ricoh 999 Autofocus Point & Shoot * Ricoh GR1s SLR, lens shutter * Ricoh 35 Flex * Ricoh 35 Flex CdS http://static.flickr.com/115/272735007_6a25da56ce_t.jpg SLR, focal plane * Ricoh Singlex * Ricoh Singlex TLS * Ricoh TLS 401 / Ricohflex TLS 401 * Ricoh Singlex II * Ricoh SLX 500 * Ricoh Auto TLS EE * Ricoh XR-1 * Ricoh XR-2 * Ricoh XR 500 * Ricoh XR-1s * Ricoh XR-2s * Ricoh XR 1000S * Ricoh XR 6 * Ricoh XR-S * Ricoh XR 500 Auto * Ricoh XR 7 * Ricoh XR-P * Ricoh XR-20SP * Ricoh XR-X * Ricoh XR-10M * Ricoh XR-8 * Ricoh XR-7M II * Ricoh XR-8 Super * Ricoh XR Solar * Ricoh XR-10PF * Ricoh XR-10P * Ricoh KR-5 * Ricoh KR-10S * Ricoh KR-10x Half frame * Ricoh Caddy * Ricoh Auto Half * Ricoh Auto Half S * Ricoh Auto Half E * Ricoh Auto Half SE * Ricoh Auto Half SL * Ricoh Auto Half BT * Ricoh Auto Half SE2 * Ricoh Auto Half E2 * Ricoh Auto Half EF * Ricoh Auto Half EF2 Rapid film * Ricoh EE Rapid Half * Ricoh 35K Rapid 16mm film http://static.flickr.com/25/46709161_ada6eb2533_t.jpg * Hanken * Steky I * Steky II * Steky III * Steky IIIA * Steky IIIB * Ricoh 16 120 film 4.5×6 telescopic * Semi Olympic or New Olympic * New Olympic II http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/358453265_e31cdb693c_t_d.jpg 4.5×6 folding * Adler A, B, III and CII * Gaica and Gaica II * Heil and Heil C 6×6 folding * Adler Six I and II * Ricoh Six http://static.flickr.com/56/162107509_93ea67f1e3_t_d.jpg 6×6 TLR * Ricohflex A * Ricohflex B * Ricohflex III * Ricohflex IIIB * Ricohflex IV * Ricohflex VI * Ricohflex VII * Ricohflex VIIS * Ricohflex VIIM * Super Ricohflex * Ricohflex Holiday * Ricohflex Million * Ricohflex New Million * Ricohflex Dia * Ricohflex Dia M * Ricohflex New Dia * Ricohflex Dia L * Ricoh Diacord G * Ricohmatic 225 * Ricoh Auto 66 127 film http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/399253753_a4c6ed695c_t_d.jpg 3×4 telescopic * Olympic A, B and Junior (made by Asahi Bussan then by Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō) * Olympic C (made by Asahi Bussan then by Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō) * Zessan (made by Mori) 3×4 focal plane http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/411896567_467bfc7e13_t_d.jpg * Gokoku * Ricohl I, II and IIB 3×4 pseudo TLR * Chukon Ref 3×4 strut folding * Kinsi I 4×4 telescopic * Olympic Four I and II (made by Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō) * Seica * Letix (made by Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō) * Roico 4×4 folding * Adler Four (made by Proud, name variant of the Baby Rosen and Rosen Four) http://static.flickr.com/88/272735009_8d3d84645e_t.jpg 4×4 TLR * Ricoh Super 44 * Ricohmatic 44 http://static.flickr.com/65/211819795_801ca52d8e_t_d.jpg 4×6.5 telescopic * Regal Olympic * Vest Olympic 126 film * Ricohmatic 126 * Ricoh 126C Automatic * Ricoh 126C Auto CdS * Ricoh 126C EE * Ricoh 126C Flex 110 film * Ricohmatic 110X Pocket Deluxe * Ricohmatic 600M Enlargers * Olympic D enlarger Advertisement published in Camera Art February 1937, reproduced in , p. 63. Advertisement by Asahi Bussan published at the end of 1937 in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938, pp. 694–5. Other cameras with Riken or Ricoh lenses mounted on other cameras * Liebe 75/4.5 (three elements, on the Semi Osamo) (lens item Lc12). * Toa 75/3.5 (four elements, on the Taroflex) (lens item Lb37). Notes Bibliography * Advertisement by Asahi Bussan in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938, edited by Arthur J. Dalladay, published by Henri Greenwood & Co., Ltd., London. Pp. 694–5. (By its very nature, the 1938 Almanac was published at the end of 1937.) * Arimura Katsumi (有村克巳). "Rikō Ryakushi" (リコー略史, Ricoh short history). Pp. 6–7. * * * Tanaka Masao (田中政雄). "Rikō kamera no nagare" (リコーカメラの流れ, Evolution of the Ricoh cameras). Pp. 8–11. Links Company history In English: * History pages of the global Ricoh official website (the original version of these pages is in Japanese and they also exist in French, in German, in Italian and in other languages) * History page of the Riken Institute official website (the original version of this page is in Japanese) In Japanese: * History pages of the Ricoh official website (the Japanese version of these pages is more complete) * History of Ricoh in the September and October 2002 issue (Vol. 57) of IR Magazine * History of Riken Kankōshi and its links with the Riken institute, in the June 2000 issue (N°228) of the Riken News bulletin published by the Riken Institute * Website about Ichimura Kiyoshi, the founder of Ricoh Riken and Ricoh cameras In English: * User manuals for many Ricoh cameras, including almost all SLRs, at butkus.org's Orphan Cameras * Ricoh TLR information at Dan Colucci's camera site * The Ricohflex page in Greg Erker's website * Night Photography done with Ricoh KR5, by Ross Hillier * US patent: Design of the Ricoh 16 In French: * Ricoh page at G. Even's site In Japanese: * Ricoh camera list and Ricoh camera library at the Ricoh official website * Ricoh cameras at Japan Family Camera * Riken cameras using 127 film at Asacame Category: Japanese camera makers Category: Japanese lens makers *